Derby County 1 Birmingham City 2: Colin Tattum's Big Match Verdict

Aug 1 2010 by Colin Tattum, Sunday Mercury

AN OPPORTUNIST or farcical goal – depending on which camp you are in – provided Blues with a fourth straight pre-season victory.

Forty-nine seconds into the second-half, Sebastian Larsson charged down a backpass and left Stephen Bywater red-faced when the ‘keeper’s attempted clearance cannoned back off him and into the net.

It was a freak, funny goal all right and, in fairness to Bywater, ruined an otherwise good performance.

Derby, previously unbeaten in four warm-ups, went behind in the 31st minute to David Murphy’s header at a corner.

Blues threatened to run away with it, but Gareth Robert’s stunning drive (58) meant the game stayed in the balance.

Derby started very brightly and confidently. Attuned to a 4-2-3-1 system, they knocked the ball about and darted eagerly into spaces.

However, for all the nice approach work, they never really threatened Ben Foster in the first-half.

Blues took a while to get their legs again after Hong Kong and China. Once they did, they found ways to open up the Derby defence.

Craig Gardner was again at the forefront of their efforts, carrying on where he left off in the Far East.

In the 11th minute he was quick to nod a loose ball to Garry O’Connor and race onto a return pass that took him clear.

Gardner’s shot came back off Bywater’s legs and Nikola Zigic’s follow-up attempt was headed away from goal by Russell Anderson.

After another snap-shot by Gardner, down the inside right channel that sailed high over the crossbar, he spurned a great chance to put Blues ahead.

Stuart Parnaby clipped the ball deep into the heart of the Derby penalty area and Gardner, instead of letting rip first time, delayed and tried to guide it past Bywater with his left foot, only to find that by then he was too close to the ‘keeper.